farfel_n07_043_487

Quaritch Cat. 1215 #210 One of the most popular books of the middle ages, a
compendium of biblical + pagan history which became
essential reading in the medieval schools. The author
was a Paris master who became Chancellor in 1169 +
died about 10 yrs later. It was a 'set book' in the
schools + formed the subject of lecture courses; hence
it got its name, the Historia Scholastica; but the 12th C
masters knew it simply as the Histories. They call
the Comestor 'the master of the Historyies, as they call
the Lombard' the master of teh sentences'. Outside
the schools it became a classic with both the clergy
+ laity.
An interesting feature of the Historia, first recognised
in the 17th C., is the use of Comestor made of Jewish
and other "unauthoritative" sources.
The Latin Historia scholastica prepared by
P. Comestor - La Bible historiale, Trans. by
Guyard des Moulins. A narrative based largely
on the historical books but not following them
clocely + selecting incidents to point a moral. THe
literary type is accordingly reffered to as a
"moralized" Bible. Guyart had originally planned to present
a faithful translation of P. Comestor's Historia adding to it a
translation of these sections of the Vulgate that Peter's commentary
elucidated. Although this plan limited Guyart to the historical
books of the Old + New T. Only, he decided to include a
translation of Proverbs + parts of other sapiential books
as well.